Eating
Disorders with Female ENDURANCE ATHLETESArticle By: Penny Sparks.The most
serious side effect from the pressures females face in their athletic
careers is eating disorders. Eating disorders have risen drastically
in the last ten years, especially among young female athletes.
Athletes obviously have to perform publicly in highly competitive
situations, but this is something that, for the most part, they
enjoy. But too much outside pressure can lead to many negatives,
including eating disorders. One reason female endurance athletes
are so susceptible to eating disorders is that they are lead to
believe that there is only one body type that will be successful
- the 12 year old look. Therefore, they must have very low body
weight in order to be competitive... Eating disorders, however,
are not that simple.

The
Effective Use of Positive Statements with AthletesArticle By: Brad Donahue, Ph.D.As indicated
by Randy Rossi in the Psychology section in the coacheseducation.com
web site the use of positive feedback is essential to the effective
development of athletes. At all levels, positive statements (i.e.,
words of encouragement and support) are associated with enhanced
performance in training and competition, less stress and anxiety,
greater enthusiasm to pursue sports, greater motivation to train
hard, greater resistance and recovery to injuries, longer and
more pleasant sport careers, and better team cohesion. Of course,
the use of negative statements (harsh criticism, pointing out
weaknesses) usually lead to opposite effects. Given the benefits
of positive statements in athletics, the focus of this article
will be on the use of positive statements that may be administered
to athletes immediately prior to, and during, athletic training
or competitive events.

The Total
AthleteArticle By: Tim ButlerA good coach will always
seek ways to make their runners successful. Doing everything in
their power to have athletes reach their potential becomes paramount
to the most competent coaches. Where do they look to accomplish
this altruistic goal?

Articles By Randy Rossi: Irvine
High School, Irvine, California.

Building
Self Esteem Through Positive FeedbackI have said
before that I believe that self-esteem plays an extremely important
role in the success of both an individual and a team in cross
country. In fact, I am more convinced than ever that the effort
to build self-esteem is one of the most important elements of
the cross country program at Irvine High School. I continue to
find that the easiest way to begin to build self-esteem in an
athlete is through the use of continual positive reinforcement.

Professionalism
between a Male Coach and a Female AthleteA coach plays
an extremely important role in the development of a young athlete.
Everything that a coach says and does have the potential to leave
deep and lasting impressions on an athlete. It is the sincere
hope of every coach that the impressions that we leave be of a
positive, meaningful nature. Therefore, it is important that we
recognize that this is not always the case. As coaches, we must
carefully weigh our words and actions so as not to negatively
influence the athletes with whom we work.